Wish Upon a Star (29 page)

"Ashley. She mentioned after my birthday party she thought
Aidan was hot, so..."

"Are you kidding me? Ashley and Aidan?"

"Why not? I got lucky with a cyclist from Indiana, so why
can't she?"

I let out a long laugh and looked at the button. "What do you
think, Evan? Yeah, I'm pretty much speechless, too." I held the button
where it would go Saturday. "We both can't wait to see that."

* * * *

A text Gloria sent me the following day made me a little
nervous. Short and to the point, the message packed a wallop.

Have you looked at a weather forecast?

She wouldn't have sent it unless she was concerned. With a
few clicks on my computer, I had the extended forecast in front of
me.

"Damn."

It was sunny at the moment, but a front was forecast to
move in overnight, bringing cooling temperatures and steady rain
through the weekend. Not what I wanted to see. Annie's
determination to have an outdoor wedding at the Art Center had
meant we had no back-up plan. She'd made it clear early on that an
outdoor wedding was what she wanted, and an outdoor wedding
was what she was going to have.

The control freak in her was going to be less than thrilled
with this news.

I knew better than to mention the forecast to Annie. We had
no control of the weather, so there was no point in bringing it up
now. I'd wait as long as I could before I pressed her for a change of
venue.

Friends and business associates began arriving in town
Wednesday evening, so I spent Thursday being a one-man
welcoming committee. I didn't see much of Annie on that day, as she
was busy with final meetings with the wedding planner, the caterer
and the dress maker.

On Thursday night, we were headed to a dinner with Ira,
Samantha and some bigwig from her record label when Annie
started rubbing her temples. "Help me keep this short, all
right?"

I took a glance at her. She had her eyes closed and was
grimacing. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine, just overextended myself today. The energy
level's coming back a little every day, but today was a bit much. The
weather's not helping, either."

Here was my opening. "Yeah, about that—"

"Oh, don't worry, it's nothing a good night's sleep won't
cure. I've got tomorrow all planned out. Sleep until noon, then a
massage with the girls, so I'll be in great spirits for the
rehearsal."

She let out a high pitched squeal, like something a little girl
might do. "I can't believe it. In two days, I'm going to be married to
the most wonderful man in the world."

So much for my opening about the weather.

"And I'm going to be married to the most amazing woman in
the galaxy, Mrs. Annette Suzanne McCarty."

We pulled into the parking lot in front of the restaurant. "Oh,
honey, you know I love you, but you've got it all wrong. It's Mr.
Eamon Joseph Wilson." She kissed me on the cheek and was out of
the car before I could respond.

Annie's strength was returning. Her spirits were high. She
felt good. All the guests had arrived safely. The dresses and tuxedos
were ready. My outfit was set. The flowers, food and seating
arrangements were ready to go. Everything was coming
together.

Except the one thing Annie couldn't control.

The forecast hadn't improved. The clouds and drizzle I
envisioned on our wedding day hung over me like a wet blanket.
Against my better judgment, I just couldn't raise the subject with
her.

The French cuisine we had for dinner was exquisite, even if I
couldn't pronounce anything. The bubbles from the champagne
danced on my tongue. The dessert pastries had been crafted so
delicately, they melted in my mouth. In short, the dinner was so
extraordinary that driving home afterward, the constant swish,
swish of the windshield wipers didn't get me down. Of course, it
hadn't hurt an executive from Annie's record company had picked up
the tab for the evening.

"Don't feel indebted," Annie told me. "I've made him enough
money over the years to pay for dinner like that every night for the
rest of our lives."

By Friday morning, the rain hadn't let up. I couldn't wait any
longer, so during brunch I took the leap.

"Annie, about tomorrow. The weather forecast doesn't look
good."

She put down her fork. "What are you saying?"

"I know you want an outdoor wedding. But tomorrow's
forecast is for more cold and rain. I'm sure you don't want to get
married in cruddy conditions. We need a plan B."

"Well everyone's here. All the arrangements have been
made. We can't cancel now."

I put my hands up in front of me. This was a minefield I
needed to traverse with caution and tact. "You're absolutely right.
We can't cancel. Besides, I don't want to. I want to start being your
husband tomorrow."

She let out a little breath and picked her fork back up, but
didn't say anything.

I counted to ten before I resumed the conversation. What I
was going to say was going to hurt her, but it needed to be said. "I
think we need to find someplace else to hold the wedding, someplace
indoors."

Annie shook her head. "Don't do this E.J., please. Ever since I
was a little girl, I've dreamt of getting married outside, under sunny
skies." She turned and gazed out the patio door. Her index finger
tapped out a regular rhythm. At last she turned back to me.

"I need to get ready for my trip to the spa. I'll meet you at
the Art Center for the rehearsal. Bring me some options then." She
got up and took her plate to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Annie. I really am."

She stood at the sink, placed her arms on the counter and
lowered her head. When her back heaved, I went to her and put my
arms around her. She let out a ragged breath and brushed away
something from her cheek bone with her hand.

"The one thing I have absolutely no control over. After all
I've been through, was it too much to ask for a nice day for my
wedding?"

"No."

I'd have done anything for my Annie, my North Star—run
through a blazing house, fought off a pack of rabid pit bulls, swum
through a raging ocean. But I was completely powerless against the
weather. There wasn't a damn thing I could do to fix it. That fact cut
me worse than a dull blade.

Annie's phone buzzed. "Randi's on the way. I need to get
ready."

As soon as Annie was out the door, I called the wedding
planner. She promised me she'd try to find us something, but, given
the late notice, our options would be extremely limited. I thanked
her and started making calls myself.

To my total lack of surprise, my efforts bore no fruit. Given
my needs—seating for a hundred guests or so, on-site reception
facilities including an alcohol permit, changing rooms for the
wedding party, and a few other things—every place I contacted said
they couldn't help me.

Feelings of utter ineptitude consumed me as I trudged to the
bathroom to get ready for the rehearsal. When I got to the Art
Center, the wedding planner flagged me over to a corner. She'd
struck out as well. We were discussing the possibility of getting some
tents brought in when Gloria joined us.

"Anything I can help with?"

"I wish G. We're screwed weather-wise. I don't know what
we're going to do. We've called about every reception hall in town
and nothing's available."

"Ah, I see." Gloria brushed something from her sleeve and
looked at the wedding planner. "I might be able to help you out. May
I have a word with E.J. and Annie alone?"

Gloria and I rounded up Annie and found a room to chat
undisturbed. Once we were seated, Gloria focused her attention on
Annie.

"Honey, I'm so, so sorry about the weather." Annie nodded
but didn't say anything. "Lord knows if anybody deserves a special
day for her wedding, it's you."

"Thank you, Gloria."

"I can help you, but it'll require you to be flexible about a
few things to pull this off."

For the first time since we'd entered the room, Annie's eyes
met Gloria's. "How so?"

"You won't be able to use all your decorations for the
ceremony and your reception hall won't be terribly fancy."

"But we'd be indoors and have room for everybody?"

"Yes and yes."

Annie got up and wandered around the room. The way she
nodded her head as she walked left me with the impression she was
going through the pros and cons in her mind, weighing the plusses
versus the minuses.

At this point, if Gloria could get us a place, I didn't see any
cons or minuses, but this was Annie's call. I owed it to her to make
the decision.

She returned to her seat and glanced at the ceiling for a
moment. "If I've learned anything these past few months, it's that
sometimes there are things you can't control and you simply have to
go with the flow. All right, where are we moving?"

Gloria broke into an ear-to-ear smile. "You've been there
before dear, well at least the reception hall part. We're moving to my
church."

For a minute, I sat there with my mouth hanging open
before my brain kicked into gear. "Your church? Don't you guys have
some kind of function in the cafeteria on Saturdays?"

"Normally, yes. You're not the only ones who've been
keeping an eye on the weather. When you decided on an outdoor
wedding and reception, I booked the church and cafeteria as a
backup."

Annie put her hands up. "Whoa, stop it. I'm lost. What place
are you talking about?"

"My church, dear. You know, where we serve the
Thanksgiving meals." When Annie's eyes grew wide, Gloria nodded.
"Like I said, it's not fancy, but it'll suit your needs."

"Where we've served Thanksgiving meals." Annie chuckled.
"I believe there may be a certain symmetry to this. But how can we
ever repay you?"

"Let's just say it's my church's way to tell the Cassandra
Lawrence Foundation thank you for its ongoing Thanksgiving
support."

"Oh, E.J." Annie took my hand. "Given the circumstances, I
like it. I like it a lot. What do you think?"

I was about to say something when a memory flashed before
my eyes. It took me back to dancing with Annie at Ryan and
Miranda's wedding. As we'd danced, I'd seen visions of us together in
places all across the world. The last scene had been the two of us on
the steps of a church.

"What do I think? It's perfect."

After I gave Gloria a bear hug and a thank you for being
there once again, I left her and Annie for a couple of quiet moments
alone. While they chatted, I told everybody we were moving the
wedding and the reception to Blessed Trinity, Gloria's church.

I gave the address to the wedding planner and asked her to
contact the caterer immediately. Ira and Beth volunteered to make
sure all of Annie's business and out of town guests were notified.
Before I'd finished repeating the church's address to Ira, Miranda
and Dave had started working their phones, no doubt starting a
texting tree for all the local guests.

By the time Annie and Gloria emerged from the room, the
wheels were rolling on getting everything moved. Gloria stepped to
the head of the room and rubbed her hands together.

"Well then, for those I've not met, my name's Gloria
Washington. Officially, I'm the pastor of the Blessed Trinity Church
and have the pleasure of marrying this wonderful couple tomorrow.
Unofficially, I've been trying to keep E.J. on the straight and narrow
for the past few years, with admittedly, mixed results."

Laughter rippled through the gathering while my cheeks
warmed to what had to be a bright crimson shade. Gloria took
control and after getting a few things moved around ran us through
the rehearsal with the skill of the seasoned veteran she was. Before I
knew it, she clapped her hands once and told everybody she'd see us
at the church the following day.

"You're not joining us for dinner?" Annie asked.

She shook her head. "I have a few ladies waiting for me.
Need to make sure we're ready for tomorrow. Never had such a
celebrity get married in our little church." Gloria gave Annie a hug
and whispered something in her ear. With a wave, she was out the
door.

We were in high spirits as we drove to a nearby banquet hall
for the rehearsal dinner. With the way folks laughed and hugged all
evening long, you'd have never known the rain was coming down
harder than ever. The champagne flowed as if it was water and it
seemed like toasts were made every five minutes. Ira joked that with
all the amazing deals he'd swung for Cassandra, it was the least she
could do to let him walk her down the aisle. Once Annie had seen
Aidan, she'd grabbed Ashley and made the introductions.

Before it got too late, she made her exit with Miranda and
Ryan. She was staying at their place for the night, allegedly because
they had an early appointment with the hair dresser. I sensed it was
Annie showing a touch of traditionalism without wanting to admit it.
That was okay. I'd return the tradition favor with my wedding
ensemble.

And so it was that I spent my final night as a bachelor alone.
Once I got back to the condo, I laid my outfit on the spare bed and
made sure I had everything accounted for. After that, I took time to
flip through the scrapbook I'd created from the keepsakes compiled
during my letting-go exercise.

As I reflected on the winding road I'd traveled from the
scruffy nine-year old with a buzz haircut and a bandage on his elbow
to a man probably in need of a haircut about to marry the girl of his
dreams, I couldn't help but smile.

Sure, there'd been times I'd ended up crashing out in the
proverbial ditch. But over the years, I'd learned it was those low
moments that made the high ones all the more sweet. I flipped the
scrapbook closed and headed for bed, content with the knowledge
the day ahead would be the sweetest of all.